Welcome to our Sunday Selfie project: one of our young Australian Water Dragons. This female is at least two foot long and she’s quite friendly. Males are much bigger, and often over 3 foot long. They also have a bigger and broader head, and a stockier, stronger body, which is more colorful than the females.
Sunday selfie closeup.
Australian Water Dragons are semi-aquatic and are expert swimmers who can hold their breath under water for up to 90 minutes, standing on the bottom of the lake. On land, they can slowly change skin color to help camouflage, and during periods of growth they shed their skin.
She is visually very striking in real life.
Australian water dragons are extremely shy in the wild. They are fast runners and strong climbers, and can even climb vertically up tall trees. The sex of baby Water Dragons, known as hatchlings, is determined by the temperature of the nest site. They are common in rainforest areas. We have a rainforest canopy running alongside us, which is why we have a nice number of Water Dragons.
Water Dragons are expert swimmers and their tail acts as a rudder.
They like to bask in the sun. Males and females both practice arm-waving and head-bobbing. Fast arm-waving signals dominance, while slow arm-waving signals submission. Males are territorial and sometimes display aggression toward other males, including posturing and chasing.
Water Dragons can also run fast too.
We are happy to be back in the Sunday Selfie blog hop. Things have been very hectic lately and we just couldn’t back here sooner. Don’t forget to join our Thankful Thursday Blog Hop, which stays open all week, every week. Hope you’ll visit us again soon. *waves paw* :=o)
My, I think it would be so cool to have this fantastic creatures around, especially as they are friendly and not too big! Have a great week. purrs ERin
Very nice selfie.
oh wow! thats a pawsome photo. we nebber seens a water dragon afore… Mom won’t let us play with him though. and thats a good thing for the water dragon. -Katie Kitty Too.
That is a lovely selfie from the water dragon.
That’s a super handsome water dragon. And he sure does take a great selfie!
OMC, what a totally neat critter. Thanks for introducing us to the water dragon and sharing her on the blog hop. It’s great to have you back. We have missed all the super cool anipals you share with us! XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
That is a gorgeous little critter! And the stats you provided are fascinating. I had no idea they could stay underwater for so long.
What a handsome, pretty fellow he is too. M said she’d be afraid to meet him outside in the yard, but maybe he runs faster than she does in the opposite direction!!! Thanks for sharing him with us and telling us about them.
The photographs are magnificent Michele, well done. You allow us to share and see a special animal who is quite amazing.